


Something New

by cminerva



Series: The Cobbler Verse [3]
Category: Longmire (TV), Walt Longmire Mysteries - Craig Johnson
Genre: Angst, F/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Not Quite Enemies to Lovers, and yes, i have a lot of feelings about these two, let me convince you, mention of overdose, peach cobbler is a love language, something close to fluff, spoilers for most of the series i guess, they're cute okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27217525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cminerva/pseuds/cminerva
Summary: May Stillwater and Mathias Littlesun have been tied together by some of the darkest periods of their lives. Those dark moments have kept them at odds but it’s hard to hold on to too much hurt. Perhaps it’s time for something new.
Relationships: Henry Standing Bear & May Stillwater, Mathias/May Stillwater
Series: The Cobbler Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980913
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Something New

**Author's Note:**

> So one night I decided May/Mathias should be a thing and the following morning I sent What_a_mess a series of messages explaining why. Those ramblings eventually became the outline of this fic and were more than enough to convince What_a_mess that I was right about this ship, and they provided some excellent headcanon that I inserted towards the end of the fic. Many, many thanks to What_a_mess for their wonderful ideas and beta notes <3
> 
> While it is not necessary to have read the other works in The Cobbler Verse series, I do recommend it as this piece contains some spoilers for the rest!

May Stillwater was thirteen years old when she kissed fourteen-year-old Henry Standing Bear, a boy cuter and more popular than the boys her age. She felt pretty smug about kissing an older boy, but that didn't stop her from punching him right in the nose when he bragged to his friends about it. That episode may have ended their brief attempt at romance, but it also cemented their friendship. Henry became someone she respected, and - a teenage boy's lack of discretion aside - she trusted his judgement throughout their decades long friendship. They tended to agree about most issues on the Rez, including their perceptions of tribal leaders and those most likely to cause trouble, or find it. So they had always been in agreement that the tribal police were mostly there to serve themselves rather than the Cheyenne they were sworn to protect.

May never paid much attention to the slightly younger Mathias Littlesun though she was aware of him, seeing him on the track field in high school and around the Rez on occasion. She mistrusted him as a matter of course when he worked under Malachai Strand, as everyone knew the old chief was corrupt. When her daughter Lilly ran away from home and May had exhausted all other options, May risked going to the tribal police for help, hoping that Malachai’s recent arrest meant that she could find help. She found the newly instated police chief Mathias unable, or unwilling, to do much at all.

What May didn’t know - couldn’t know, might not have cared if she had - was that Mathias was putting up a stoic front while secretly spiraling into a very dark place. Malachai was gone but the force was still corrupt and he didn't know how to maintain order without the system his predecessor had created. No one trusted him, and being tasked with protecting the Rez had made Mathias more aware than ever before how little authority he had to make lasting change and how the laws tied his hands. 

When May Stillwater planted herself in front of his desk and begged him to find her daughter, Mathias felt the suffocating weight of his own inadequacy bearing down on him. May had already done all the footwork that he could have offered her; she had searched the home of every one of Lilly’s friends on the Rez, none of the teachers at school had heard of where she may have gone, and the girl’s most recent ex-boyfriend had been interrogated and clearly knew nothing. 

Mathias agreed with May’s assessment that Lilly had run away with a friend from off the Rez who was likely mixed up in something ugly. He knew he should have offered her some kind of hope, some gesture that would have reassured May that he wanted to help her, but Mathias couldn’t bring himself to find any hope in this situation. Mathias knew it was the wrong thing to tell a frantic mother, but he said it anyway: Lilly was just another Cheyenne teen angry with her family, frustrated by life on the Rez, convinced running away was the only solution, and if she was really off the Rez, whatever she was mixed up in was out of his hands. 

He was surprised May didn’t hit him; she clearly wanted to, and he would have sworn her hand clenched. Instead she looked at him in disdain, lifted her chin - how this woman could look so damn dignified with eyes red from crying and tears still streaming down her face was beyond him - and stalked out of his office.

When Sheriff Longmire and his deputies got involved nearly two months later Mathias  eventually worked though his potent annoyance to provide the information they demanded . He wasn't proud of how he had failed May and her daughter and he was glad that someone had been able to help, even if it was Longmire and Standing Bear and would forever be grateful to the white sheriff for finding the girl, even if he'd never admit it outright. It grated, watching the reunion of May and Lilly, knowing he hadn’t done a damn thing to make it happen.

  


A few years later, Lilly was thriving and beat out a crowd of talented young women to win the Miss Cheyenne Nation pageant. In the midst of the celebration that followed the judges’ announcement, Mathias made his way through the crowd of excited families to offer his congratulations to May. Only the proximity of the judges kept May from lashing out physically. Mathias’ testimony at Henry’s trial earlier that day was fresh in her mind and no amount of joy over her daughter’s success could temper the anger she felt. 

With a sideways glance at the clump of judges, May opened her mouth to deliver a few choice words but Mathias cut her off.

“I also wanted to apologize.”

May gaped for a moment then laughed derisively. 

“I’m not sure why you’re bothering me then,” she told him. “Henry’s the one you nearly screwed over today.”

Mathias huffed out a wry laugh.

“I’m not sorry about my testimony. I’m sorry about yours. You were right, I didn’t help you when Lilly was missing. And I’m sorry for that.”

May was shocked into silence for a moment, but she recovered and shook her head. “Who exactly  _ have _ you helped, Mathias?” She turned on her heel and went to find her daughter, leaving Mathias staring at the ground.

May said those words hoping to wound, but the truth was she knew Mathias  _ was _ helping people and he had been slowly shaking off Malachai's shadow in the years since his predecessor’s arrest. She had seen him show up for every person on the Rez when anything went wrong, and also when things went right. He always made an appearance at the celebrations and festivals, volunteered at every fundraiser and food drive, and one time she witnessed him repairing Alma White Hawk’s roof on what had to be a rare day off. (If she spent more time than necessary admiring the fit of his jeans and his sweat soaked t-shirt, well that was her business.) May could see that Mathias was at least trying to support their people and distance himself from Malachai’s legacy, even if he hadn’t been there for her when she needed him. Despite the mounting proof that Mathias was indeed a better man than she had ever given him credit for, May held onto her pain over Lilly’s disappearance and Mathias’ testimony at Henry’s trial. 

  


May had always assumed that Henry held a grudge too but over time it seemed as though he and Mathias had developed a kind of understanding that she couldn’t quite explain. May saw the two men together more often than ever before, Mathias would seek Henry’s council over issues on the Rez and it was clear that Henry had come to trust the police chief; whatever hard feelings Henry may have carried after the trial seem to have faded. May couldn’t understand it, but she was getting tired of carrying old hurts. If Henry trusted Mathias after everything they’d gone through, maybe it was time to let some of her anger go too.

The next time she saw Mathias, he was overseeing the response to a disturbingly familiar scene on the Rez these days: another neighbor had overdosed on heroin and left behind a family that needed him. May watched as Mathias followed the stretcher to a silent ambulance and her eyes lingered on the tight set of his jaw and the fingers that twitched on his utility belt. He glanced over to where she stood and as their eyes met May could see the grief etched into his features. They stayed like that a moment before May finally looked away, remembering the sharp words she’d left him with the night of the Miss Cheyenne Pageant.  _ Who exactly  _ have _ you helped, Mathias? _ Did those words haunt him the way they haunted her?

The following week, May was standing at the volunteer tent for the latest school fundraiser and wondering how she was going to pull this one off. May had been serving on the fundraising committee for the new - mostly aspirational - middle school for the Rez for several years. Usually this project made her feel hopeful about the future, but today that hope was hard to hold onto. The planning team had just gotten word that they’d lost the donor who had committed to sending bottled water for the runners. May had assigned her team the task of reaching out for last minute donations but she didn’t see how they would get the necessary water before the race was supposed to start.

When Mathias rolled in with jug after gallon jug of bottled water in the back of his SUV May didn’t question the minor miracle in front of her, but immediately grabbed some volunteers and began unloading the cases then gave the all clear for the race to start. It was only after she witnessed Henry attempt to hand Mathias a handful of bills that it occurred to her that Mathias must have paid for the water himself. Mathias waved off Henry’s money and went to join some other volunteers at the finish line. 

May noted that Mathias’ shoulders relaxed at being around the excited kids and their parents. She watched him joke around with some of the other volunteers - overhearing them exchange memories of being young and full of energy at one point - and noticed the way he smiled when the kids clamored for his attention. May found her gaze lingering appreciatively at the small touch of gray at his temples and she shook her head at the absurdity of  _ noticing  _ Mathias after decades of seeing him, but she didn't get a chance to talk herself out of that idea because suddenly he was in front of her, thanking her for the work she put in to making the event happen.

For the first time that Mathias could remember, May responded to him with genuine warmth. She had more reasons than most to distrust him and the rest of the tribal police and she had been openly hostile after his testimony at Henry's trial; her words from that night still echoed in her head on occasion. But today she just smiled and acknowledged his genuine thanks for all her work on the fundraising for the new school. And then she thanked  _ him _ for showing up to support the school fundraisers, and for saving the day with the water which she clearly knew he’d paid for himself.

Mathias shrugged off her gratitude, but he couldn’t shake the strange feeling that her sudden shift in attitude gave him. It was nice to know that maybe there was one less person on the Rez who hated him, especially if that person would make one hell of an ally in making some positive change for their people. But later, when he was finally home and couldn’t put it off any longer, he admitted that May had a really nice smile. And that it felt damn good to have it directed at him. He couldn’t believe he was thinking about this, but maybe it would be nice if she had reason to smile at him more often. That maybe he had the power to make that happen.

Henry Standing Bear did not think anything of it when Mathias asked him about May Stillwater. He knew Mathias liked to keep up with what was happening with families on the Rez but that Mathias had kept his distance from May after the trial. He also knew that Mathias still carried guilt over what had happened to Lilly, just as he did for every person on the Rez he could not help. So Henry gave Mathias the type of general information he thought the other man was looking for - Lilly was doing well and would be looking at colleges soon thanks to the scholarships she had been accumulating, May's income was stable and her last boyfriend, Charles Burnett, had been sent packing months ago. Mathias seemed content and Henry thought little of their conversation.

...Until May came around for one of their occasional lunches and she asked Henry about Mathias. Perhaps if she had come to him before the police chief Henry would not have thought much of it - it was not strange that May would want to know why he suddenly seemed to trust Mathias and whether she could too - but the coincidence was too big to ignore. So Henry wondered and smiled a little at the possibilities.

  


May and Mathias didn’t see each other again in the weeks following the race but they each spent a lot of time thinking about the change in themselves, each marveling at the sudden spark they felt after decades of seeing the other without knowing, without wanting.

Mathias had been rather careful until now to ensure that his relationships were just physical and he had been quite satisfied with that until May smiled and thanked him and suddenly he was neck deep in feelings that he was in no way prepared for. May had experienced a few more serious relationships, but with the exception of Lilly's father, she hadn’t really fallen for anyone. With a daughter on her way to college, May hadn’t expected to suddenly feel like a nervous teenager with butterflies in her stomach over a new crush, especially for a man she’d known for years.

So by the time they ran into each other at the Busy Bee in Durant, both Mathias and May found themselves flustered. Mathias was usually so controlled and May had never had reason to be flustered around Mathias, so neither of them knew quite what to make of the other’s behavior.

May found it very odd that Mathias said it was good to see her - something he had never said even if they went months without running into each other, nevermind weeks - but she was feeling unusually awkward herself and didn’t comment. She just gestured toward the menu board next to the cash register and admitted that she was finally eating breakfast at nearly 11:30am. When the pretty young blonde behind the counter smiled widely at Mathias and made quite a show of handing over his to-go order "your cobbler, officer," Mathias was a little bewildered by the sharp look on May's face.

"I don't really eat sweets," he told her, kicking himself for sounding defensive and completely misunderstanding her reaction. "This is for someone else."

She raised her eyebrows at that but said nothing and Mathias felt himself flush. He didn't owe her an explanation, she didn't care and it wouldn't be her business even if she did. And yet.

"It's for Ruby, at the sheriff's office.”

May let out a startled laugh.

"Ms. Ruby, from typing class in high school?"

Mathias laughed quietly and nodded, relaxing a bit for the first time since running into May.

"Yeah, I had a bit of a crush on her back in the day and she was real nice about it," he admitted, watching as the corners of May's eyes turned up and feeling his heart leap a little at the sight. "When I was eighteen I got into a scrape with some asshole VP from Connally Enterprises. Ruby raised hell and drove him off then took me out for cobbler. So now I like to bring her some every once in a while."

Mathias shrugged as if this story wasn't something he'd kept to himself for decades, as if sharing this wasn't a big damn deal.

May just smiled and looked away for a moment. 

"Mathias, would you like to grab lunch? I mean breakfast for me, but if you haven't had lunch yet then maybe -"

For a few agonizing moments, Mathias couldn’t say anything. He had always done just fine when it came to not being alone when he didn’t want to be, but the past few weeks of reflecting on these surprising new feelings for May had led him to the conclusion he wanted more than just a chance for occasional companionship. He had spent the days since that realization in quiet terror, but that had made him all the more determined to ask her out, because he was far from a coward. He had been working up the nerve to ask her as they talked so the sudden lunch invitation from May took him aback, but he recovered quickly, feeling very pleased indeed.

"Yeah, lunch would be good."

There was that smile again. Mathias stared at her a moment before mentally shaking himself and gesturing towards a booth near the front. They both laughed a little as they slid into their seats.

“This is a little weird, right?” Mathias said. “You and me, having lunch?”

“Very weird,” May agreed. “But, nice too. I think maybe we’ve put each other through enough these past few years. Maybe it’s time for something...new.”

They were still smiling at each other when the waitress came over to take their order. They lingered over lunch, sharing the container of cobbler when neither of them were quite ready to leave the other. Mathias was pretty sure Ruby wasn’t going to mind.

**Author's Note:**

> The bit about May and Henry sharing a first kiss and Henry getting punched for his lack of discretion was inspired by (stolen from?) one of my favorite Longmire oneshots, A Never Ending Bake Sale by ladygray99.


End file.
